Kane Cornes: Adelaide Crows midfielder Brad Crouch will lose out on new deal after early morning drug bust
Nearly a year ago, Brad Crouch was looking at a long-term, multimillion-dollar deal that would have set him up for life – now the value of the Crows midfielder has plummeted, writes Kane Cornes.
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A week is a long time in football; a year can seem like a lifetime. Just ask under-siege, out-of-contract Adelaide midfielder Brad Crouch, who has drastically devalued his worth in the space of just 12 months.
In October last year, during the frenzied AFL trade period, Crouch was testing the market while still under contract at the Crows and a year off free agency. Some AFL clubs looking for proven talent, including Gold Coast, were surprised by the value Crouch, had placed on his signature.
Once the Suns bit, Crouch’s management asked for a six-season deal with a salary package just shy of $1 million a year.
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Crouch’s pitch was seriously considered by the Gold Coast board, which eventually knocked it back due to the hefty asking price.
“It’s certainly a healthy view of his financial position,” Suns list manager Craig Cameron told AFL Trade Radio of the figure Crouch’s management proposed.
Regardless, Crouch was set to become one of the highest-paid midfielders in the game once he qualified for free agency this month.
Today, the 26-year-old Victorian will be lucky to be paid half of his original $1 million asking price and he will get a much shorter term than the six-year commitment he was seeking last year.
Before Monday morning’s events in which Crouch and teammate Tyson Stengle were stopped by police just before dawn and found to be in possession of an illicit substance, several clubs including Geelong, Richmond and intown rival Port Adelaide have been queuing up to sign the restricted free agent.
Port Adelaide was said to have prepared a four-year deal valued at $2.6 million to present at the opening of the free-agency window on October 31 to lure the 2019 Adelaide club champion to Alberton.
Monday’s incident must change Port Adelaide’s thinking.
Club chief executive Keith Thomas has tried to reform the AFL’s illicit drugs policy that allows any player who tests positive for an illegal substance to remain anonymous.
Thomas has stated: “I want to know if one of my players has an issue and if we have that visibility, I want to get him into the help he requires straight away.” He has this with Crouch.
“I don’t want to be guessing, I want to know, and at the moment we can’t do that,” Thomas added.
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley is even firmer in his stance on illicit drugs, both in life and in the AFL.
“From a personal point of view, I have always said zero tolerance, that is the way I would like it to be,” Hinkley said.
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Given that Hinkley and Thomas hold that position, it seems impossible to imagine Crouch will be playing at Port Adelaide next year.
However, former captain Travis Boak left the door ajar for Crouch to join Port Adelaide when asked on Mix102.3 radio this week if his club could tolerate Crouch.
“I don’t think we completely rule it out,” he said.
“I think in situations like that as a leadership group you want to get the full details of what happened. I guess as humans we make mistakes, and it’s not on one event in life that you judge humans.
“So there’s a lot you need to go through as clubs and leadership groups and go from there when making a decision to sign a player.”
Crouch’s behaviour is appalling and selfish. As a senior member of the team, he should have known better, and the perception of him leading a younger, troubled and vulnerable teammate astray is serious. Both players won’t be charged by police but have been referred to a counselling process.
Crouch knew that Stengle was already on his last chance after being charged with drink driving in April. He should have shown leadership by sending Stengle home well before 5am.
It’s also concerning that Crouch hasn’t appeared in person to comment on Monday’s incident. Besides hiding behind a vague statement from his management group, and releasing an apology via his private Instagram account, he is yet to front the vast Adelaide supporter group and key sponsors at a media conference.
The events of this week are just another red flag for clubs considering signing Crouch this year.
There also is the alarm bell on his physical state. Due to repeated soft-tissues injuries, Crouch has averaged less than 12 games a season during his eight years in the AFL.
He didn’t finish in the top 10 of the club’s best and fairest this season. He’s been shopping himself around to other clubs while under contract for the past 12 months.
And now he’s been found in possession of an illicit drug at 5.15am on a Monday with a young teammate.
Boak is correct, a person’s character should never be judged on one incident.
But no organisation needs to expose itself to the risk Crouch poses.
Despite his obvious talent there comes a time when a recruiter needs to say no. That time is now.
WINNERS
UPFRONT CROWS
Credit to Adelaide’s leadership team for facing up to the media on Monday and Tuesday to answer the difficult questions pertaining to the Brad Crouch and Tyson Stengle incident.
Head of football Adam Kelly and CEO Andrew Fagan both conducted multiple interviews, which wouldn’t have been easy.
CAP THE BENCH
The AFL are considering more rules changes for the 2021 season in the hope they can ease congestion. Hopefully the first change they make is to drastically reduce the interchange
cap, there’s a start.
RAT CASHES IN
On Thursday The Advertiser revealed that former Adelaide wingman Rory Atkins is set to sign a lucrative four-year deal with Gold Coast. What do the Suns see in Atkins that wooden spooners Adelaide didn’t?
LOSERS
BEHAVING BADLY
Brad Crouch and Tyson Stengle weren’t the only AFL players to land in hot water this week. Fremantle’s Jesse Hogan was involved on a Perth quarantine breach, former Demon Harley Bennell was admitted to hospital on the Gold Coast and Port Adelaide’s Jack Watts was charged by police for driving without due care and failing to report a crash. It’s been a terrible set of events for the AFL on the eve of the finals.
HAWKINS SNUB
Geelong’s Coleman Medallist Tom Hawkins didn’t finish in the top 20 of the AFL coaches award which was won by Brisbane’s Lachie Neale. Clearly, it’s not just the AFL umpires that
don’t rate the contribution of the key forwards in the game but the coaches as well.
MALTHOUSE INSULT
On SENSA radio Collingwood premiership coach Mick Malthouse labelled Magpies forward Jayden Stephenson a “scaredy cat.”
It’s a cutting insult for any AFL player to be on the receiving end but Stevenson’s drop off in form has been alarming.
Originally published as Kane Cornes: Adelaide Crows midfielder Brad Crouch will lose out on new deal after early morning drug bust